I first saw you in the Jazira restaurant on a warm afternoon. I was a first-year law student. The exact year escapes me, but I remember the untimely appearance of the Gu’ season and what we wore that day. I was wearing brown trousers, a plaid shirt, and light brown sandals. Your style was more […]
Jul 10 2021
Gratefully received, gratefully repaid
Samatar (not his real name) was a promising student. He was in his early twenties and a second-year university student at the Somali National University. Whilst earning his degree, he made money on the side for his poor family in Mandera (Kenya) by acting as a duty officer at a special facility. He used to […]
Dec 22 2019
Indeed, Allaah is ever watching over you
They say that over 100 billion people have ever lived with 7 billion alive today. Every single person – living or dead – has teetered or continues to teeter on a precarious tightrope of life. To make firm our footing and balance our steps, we anxiously look for that tailored magic pole. Walking the tightrope […]
Oct 30 2019
Hooyo (mother) and Aabbo (father)
Hooyo:Hooyo (mother in Somali) has two distinctive etymological roots. The first one is ‘hoy’ which stands for home. A building, a room, or a house without people is nothing but an empty physical shell. Like a body without a soul; it’s a spiritless abode. Only when people inhabit it, is a haven of harmony established. […]
Sep 13 2019
He shaped you and then made your shapes beautiful
“He shaped you and then made your shapes beautiful (Fa aḥsana ṣuwarakum)” (40:64) This Quranic verse has been kicking around in my head for the past week, trying to unravel its intrinsic meaning. I’ve read the tafaasir on it but wasn’t satisfied. Usually, the first question that pops into one’s mind is, if Allaah shaped […]
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